Coupling or fastening for scaffolding and like poles



June 13, 1950 2,511,035

P. C. BARTON COUPLING OR FASTENING FOR SCAFFOLDING AND LIKE POLES Filed Dec. 18, 1947 INVENTOR PERCY CHARLES BARTON Patented June 13, 1950 COUPLING OR FASTENING FOR SOAFFQLDING AND LIKE POLES Percy Charles Barton, Birmingham, England Application December 18, 1947, Serial No. 792,446 In Great Britain December 21, 1946 1 Claim. 1

The present invention has reference to couplings or fastenings for scafiolding and like poles, and has for its object to provide such a device of simple construction and which is cheap to produce and at the same time particularly satisfactory and eflicient in use.

According to the present invention the device comprises or includes a U-shaped socket into which the pole is adapted to be placed and maintained by virtue of a curved bolt or strap, the head or a part of which is accommodated in the transverse part of a T or equivalently shaped slot placed in one limb of the socket and the stem of the bolt or strap passed through an aperture in the other limb of the socket and secured by a nut.

Advantageously two outwardly facing U-shaped sockets are employed connected integrally in planes at right angles for the right angle reception of two poles, or alternatively two sockets may be operatively connected by a swivel engaging their yokes for adjustment purposes.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into practice reference may be had to the appended drawings, upon which- Figure 1 illustrates in elevation a coupling constructed according to the present invention, the

said coupling securing two poles at right angles.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the coupling shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 illustrates a modified coupling incorporating a swivel, and

Figure 4 illustrates in perspective the bolt or strap.

In a convenient embodiment of the present invention the body of the device is stamped up or formed from a pressing of heavy gauge metal, substantially or cruciform. The arms a e and a a of this blank are bent outwardly in pairs and in opposite directions as illustrated to constitute two open sockets disposed at right angles to one another and into these sockets the tubes or poles b are adapted to be placed with a snug or wedge fit. What may be considered an upper arm a is slightly shorter than the lower arm a and the longer lower arm is bent downwardly at a so as to be disposed more or less in tangential relationship to the tube. The upper shorter arm a is provided with a T-shaped slot illustrated more particularly at a in the arm a the stem a of which is open to the forward edge of the arm and the lower longer arm has a circular aperture (1 in the downwardly directed part a In this invention there is utilized a bolt or strap 0, see particularly Figure 4, the upper part of which is bent to the curvature of the tube as illustrated and the lower screw-threaded part 0 complete with nut c is of straight configuration. The head c of the bolt or strap is of T-formation, is adapted to engage the T-shaped slot a a", and the curved stem of this hook shaped bolt or strap follows the contour of the tube b whence it straightens and passes through the aperture a in the lower arm a and is engaged by the nut 0 under the underside of the said arm a When the nut c is tightened the bolt or strap 0 is drawn onto the tube 12 to grip same in a particularly efiicient manner, the T-shaped head 0 virtually sliding laterally in the slot (1 0 To release the tube b it is only necessary to slacken off the nut c and inasmuch as the bolt or strap is engaged with the arm a through an aperture (1 and secured by a nut c it is not likely to become inadvertently separated therefrom. The present invention has been described primarily with regard to the one socket and fastening bolt, but it will be appreciated that the complementary one is constructed and functions in an identical manner.

In a modification of the present invention illustrated in Figure 3, two separate U -shaped sockets (1 d and a a are connected by a central swivel d in well known manner in connection with these couplings for permitting the tubes to be disposed at any desired angular relationship, the arrangement advantageously being such that when the curved bolt c is tightened not only is the tube b efficiently clinched, but it is caused to bear upon the head (2 of the rivet in each instance, so that the two tubes b are not only efiectively gripped but maintained against any angular displacement.

I claim:

A coupling for crossed rods or pipes comprising, in combination, a pair of oppositely directed U-shaped sockets joined together in the bight areas, the arms of each of the U-shaped sockets being spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the diameter of the respective one of the rods to be secured thereby and extending paralleily a distance approximately equal to the radius of such rod, there being a T-shaped slot cut transversely through the end of one of said arms, the other arm having an extension angularly disposed relative to the arm at less than there being a hole pierced through said extension; and a clamp formed from material thicker than the material of the socket and having a substantially c-shaped body, the end of one arm thereof being formed into a T-shaped lug adapted to engage in the T-shaped slot in the arm of said REFERENCES CITED socket, the other arm of the C-shaped clamp terminating in a straight threaded bolt-like and, fi gfgg f i are the the bolt being directed so as to be perpendicular to said extension on said other arm of said socket 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS and to extend through the hole therein; whereby, Number Name Date upon assembly of said clamp with said socket, I 959,528 Herscher May 31, 1910 tightening a but on Said bolt-like 831d "shiftssaid 1553;800 Brandt Sept. 15, 1925 clam transversely of the rod being secured and 1,93 ,010 Be'cker Oct. '24, 1933 grips said rod between said T-shaped lug on the 10 end of one arm of said clamp and the other arm FOREIGN PATENTS of said socket. Number Country Date PERCY "11,2175 Germany Sept. 26, 1893 "340337 Italy May 11, 1936 403,066 Australia Mar. 1, 1937 

